Battery boom is expected to attract $1.2 trillion in investment by 2040

LOS ANGELES TIMES - Nov 6 According to a Bloomberg NEF report published on Tuesday, the global energy-storage market will surge to a cumulative 942 gigawatts by 2040, in part due to sharply falling battery costs, and that growth will necessitate $1.2 trillion in investment. BNEF sees the capital cost of a utility-scale lithium-ion storage system falling 52 percent by 2030. But cost isn’t the only factor. Governments from China to California are spurring demand, as is the rise of electric vehicles and solar power. There has also been a greater focus on storage for electric-vehicle charging as well as energy access in remote areas. California has pushed through a series of measures in recent years that will directly or indirectly spur more batteries, including legislation that would require all of the state’s electricity to come from carbon-free sources by 2045.

Voters in 3 U.S. states reject initiatives to curb fossil fuel use

CNBC - Nov 7 Voters in Colorado, Arizona, and Washington rejected ballot initiatives that sought to curb the use of fossil fuels by restricting drilling, putting a fee on carbon emissions, and mandating wider use of renewable energy. The Washington state measure, which would have imposed the nation's first fee on carbon emissions, mostly at the expense of the state's oil refiners, garnered only 44 percent of the vote. In Arizona, voters defeated a proposal backed by billionaire activist Thomas Steyer that would have required electricity providers to use renewable energy for half of their needs by 2030, up from the current 15 percent. The measure was opposed by Arizona Public Service Co., the state’s largest utility, which argued it would be forced to shut coal and nuclear plants and pass along those costs to customers.

IID wins early victory in rooftop solar lawsuit against Riverside County, Renova Energy

THE DESERT SUN - Nov 6 A judge has temporarily blocked a Riverside County rule that would require the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) to offer higher payments to Coachella Valley homes and businesses with rooftop solar panels. Tuesday's decision was a victory for IID in a lawsuit that has pitted the public utility against the Coachella Valley's largest rooftop solar company, Renova Energy. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors this year passed an ordinance requiring IID to bring back net metering, a compensation program that encourages rooftop solar installation by paying homes and businesses for some of the electricity they generate. The public utility sued to block the county rule, arguing it would illegally subvert the authority of IID's elected board. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel on Tuesday granted IID's request to put the solar rule on hold pending a full trial.

Portland passes measure to create clean energy fund

OPB - Nov 6 Portland, Oregon, voters on Tuesday passed Measure 26-201, a gross receipts tax measure that will pay into a clean energy fund. The measure creates a 1 percent surcharge tax or gross receipts tax on large retailers to pay for clean energy projects and job training, focused on retailers that make more than $1 billion in gross revenues nationally and $500,000 in Portland. Money from the tax is to be used to pay for clean energy projects and job training throughout the city. The tax will not apply to groceries, medicine, or health care services.